By William Hull
“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.”
— Allen Saunders, 1957
These words accurately describe the last year for me and my wife, Sibyl. Six years ago, I retired as pastor of a PC(USA) church I organized and served for 28 years. Six months later, I “flunked” retirement and became the interim pastor of a Disciples of Christ church that I was related to through Family Promise, an ecumenical, interfaith ministry to homeless families. This was the most truly diverse congregation I ever served, and I val­ued how this ministry stretched me and deepened my faith in God and my commitment to mission.
During my ministry, among other volunteer activities, I served as a board member on several Presbyterian-related ministries that provided ser­vices and housing for older adults. One of these was Westminster Communities of Florida where I was a board member for a number of years. Seeing the depth of the commitment to mission and the financial … [Read more...]

by Brandon Due
I wish that I could say I planned for a career in older adult ministry because it would have been a good plan. The reality is that vocation isn’t so tidy. Because I grew up in the church and attended a Christian college, the concept of vocation and “being called” shaped my experiences as well as my expectations. Among the quotes that left an imprint on me is that of Frederick Buechner: “The place you are called is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” There is something both ide­alistic and pragmatic about the notion of vocation, and it stuck with me.
Equipped with undergraduate degrees in philosophy and religion and a graduate degree from Harvard in theological studies, I entered a recession job market in 2008 eager to make an impact but profoundly underwhelmed by my vocational experience. One particularly memo­rable interview (there weren’t many to remember) was with a small Boston non-profit providing low-income housing. The hiring … [Read more...]

When I talk with younger clergy, they frequently ask me: “Is your generation ever going to retire?” The frustration in the question­ers is palpable. Generational tensions have developed as younger pastors understandably wonder when we boomers (I am age 67) are going to step aside. Younger clergy know that as long as the boomers remain in place, the job market will remain extremely tight. Their concerns are not unfounded. Many of my generational peers are choosing to work well past the age of 65.
Yes, our congregations get seasoned leadership when older clergy remain in place. But they don’t necessarily get the high energy, new idea-oriented leadership that younger generations have always provided congregations. In addition, with older pastoral leadership, our churches are not always served by clergy who are skilled at social media or knowledgeable about the spiritual preferences of millennials.
In some cases, the decision not to retire is economically driven. Pastors who have … [Read more...]